Neoregelia carolinae plant named Devroe

ABSTRACT

A new cultivar of Neoregelia named Devroe characterized by its rosette type and relatively large size and upright leaves; long variegated leaves which have green margins and light yellow and green striations or bands between the margins; excellent leaf production to form a full plant; a bright red socket in the middle of the rosette, in which appear light purple flowers.

The present invention comprises a new and distinct cultivar ofneoregelia plant, botanically known as Neoregelia carolinae and referredto by the cultivar name Devroe.

The new cultivar is a mutation of the cultivar Flandria, and wasdiscovered by the inventor in 1982 in a greenhouse in De Kwakel, TheNetherlands, growing among plants of the parent cultivar. The mutationwas recognized due to its totally different leaf color and marking.

Subsequent asexual reproduction by the inventor by taking shoots of thenewly discovered plant has demonstrated that the combination ofcharacteristics as herein disclosed for the new cultivar are firmlyfixed and are retained through successive generations of asexualreproduction.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and in combinationdistinguish Devroe as a new and distinct cultivar:

1. The plant is relatively large and rosette in form.

2. Devroe has an abundance of leaves (approximately 50) and isapproximately 60-70 cm in overall diameter when fully grown.

3. The leaves of Devroe are erect, with little or no drooping ordownward curvature except at the leaf tips. The leaves are slightlyconcave at their attachment to the rosette, and are otherwiseessentially flat.

4. The leaves are relatively long (approximately 30 cm), are prickly atthe margins, and variegated. Each leaf is striated with green and lightyellow bands, with the marginal sections of the leaf being a dark green.

5. Several very short and relatively wide leaves form a socket at thecenter of the plant in which purple flowers are formed. The short leavesare bright red except for the outer leaf margins and tips which aregreen. The immediately underlying leaves are infused with varyingamounts of red, most heavily near the center.

The following observations, measurements and values describe plantsgrown in De Kwakel, The Netherlands under greenhouse conditions whichclosely approximate those generally used in horticultural practice.Color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) ColorChart, except where general color terms of ordinary significance areused. The color values were determined between 8:30-9:00 on Jan. 7, 1988under bright but slightly cloudy daylight conditions at Aalsmeer, TheNetherlands.

In the color photographic drawings, Sheet 1 comprises a side elevationalview of a potted plant of Devroe, showing the upright leaf habit. Sheet2 is a top plan view of Devroe. Sheet 3 comprises two comparisonphotographs of Devroe and the parent cultivar Flandria. The photographat the top is a side view showing Flandria at the left and Devroe at theright. The bottom photograph is a top plan view showing Devroe on theleft and Flandria on the right. Sheet 4 comprises two comparisonphotographs of Devroe and the comparison cultivar Perfecta Tricolor. Thetop photograph is a side elevational view showing Devroe on the left andPerfecta Tricolor on the right. The bottom photograph comprises a topplan view showing Perfecta Tricolor on the left and Devroe on the right.The plants illustrated in the several photographs are of the same age,thirteen (13 months).

Devroe can be compared to its parent cultivar Flandria and to thecultivar Perfecta Tricolor. With regard first to Flandria, the leafshape and inflorescence are similar. Devroe differs from Flandria by itsmore erect, non-drooping leaves which form a much more erect plant, itsgreater abundance of leaves which forms a more full plant, and by itscompletely dissimilar leaf color and marking. In Devroe, the leafmargins are green, and in the interior there are green and light yellowlengthwise bands of varying width. In Flandria, the leaf margins arevery light yellow and the interior almost a solid dark green (see Sheet3 of the photographic drawings).

Devroe and Perfecta Tricolor have similar leaf shapes and generallysimilar leaf variegation. However, the leaves of Perfecta Tricolor droopor downwardly bend very pronouncedly (see Sheet 4 of photographicdrawings), the rosettes of Devroe is a much more intense red than therosette of Perfecta Tricolor, and the inflorescence socket of Devroe ismuch greater in diameter (approximately 4 cm) than the socket ofPerfecta Tricolor (approximately 2 cm) whereby the purple inflorescenceof Devroe is much more pronounced.

Classification:

Botanical.--Neoregelia carolinae cv Devroe.

Commercial.--Neoregelia.

Parentage: A spontaneous mutation of the parent Flandria.

Asexual propagation: By shoots.

Plant: From 20 cm to 25 cm tall when grown in 13 cm pots, andapproximately 60 cm in diameter when fully grown.

Grown habit.--Excellent, very vigorous.

Leaves:

Form.--Elongated, extending into rosette at center, and aristate.

Size.--Length: Approximately 30 cm. Width (at middle): 5-6 cm.

Texture.--Mainly palisade parenchyma and spongy parenchyma.

Veins or ribs.--Cannot be distinguished by the human eye.

Number.--Approximately 50.

Color.--Upper surface: Leave margins and interior bands darker than147A, with narrow green bands between bright yellow bands (approximately3C) being lighter in varying degrees and difficult to measure preciselyby color value. By comparison, the relatively wide leaf margins ofFlandria are a more gold-yellow 10B-C, while the interior leaf color is147A, but lighter than Devroe. Flandria has minimal striating or bandinginteriorly of the edges (see Sheet 3), and the banding is approximatelythe same color as the margins when it does occur. In Devroe, theinterior banding is a much brighter yellow and infused in varyingdegrees with green, thereby providing a totally different effect thanthe parent. Lower surface: Generally similar although somewhat lighter.

Rosette:

Leaves forming socket.--Leaves forming socket are very short and 5-6 cmwide.

Color (RHS).--45C-D, with red infusion in regions of certain leavesimmediately surrounding rosette. Red interior gradually fades and isgenerally confined, except for a few leaves, to a radius of 8-9 cm ofcenter of rosette.

Flowers.--Arrangement: Small flower head. Color: Relatively purple,76A-B (flowers not in bloom in color photographs). Fruit: Insignificant.Duration of Flowers: 2-3 months.

Reproductive organs:

Stamens.--Filament: White. Anthers: Light yellow.

Pistils.--Stigma: White. Style: White. Ovary: White.

Disease resistance: No disease problems noted to date.

I claim:
 1. A new and distinct cultivar of Neoregelia carolinae namedDevroe, as described and illustrated.